How hard is Sonata Op. 49 No. 2: II. Tempo di Menuetto to play?

Its passages grade from level 6 to level 9 on Real Sight Reader's ten-level reading scale, so the full piece is intermediate to advanced reading. The hardest stretch is bars 33–40 at level 9.

Is there an easy part of Sonata Op. 49 No. 2: II. Tempo di Menuetto for beginners?

Its easiest passage is level 6, so it suits a reader past the beginner stage. Start with bars 81–84 for both hands together, the level-6 passage in the reader at the top of this page; it is level 6 because a hand plays several notes at once and a hand plays full chords.

What key and time signature is Sonata Op. 49 No. 2: II. Tempo di Menuetto in?

The engraving on this page is in 3/4 time.

Who composed Sonata Op. 49 No. 2: II. Tempo di Menuetto?

Ludwig van Beethoven, German classical (1770–1827). Beethoven's notes suggest he wrote the G major sonata around 1796, close to his Op.

Can I practice Sonata Op. 49 No. 2: II. Tempo di Menuetto online for free?

Yes. The reader on this page plays any of the 4 graded passages from Sonata Op. 49 No. 2: II. Tempo di Menuetto in your browser, with an on-screen keyboard or a MIDI keyboard, and marks every note as you play. No signup.

Is the Septet minuet the same tune?

Yes. Beethoven reused the theme of this Tempo di Menuetto in the minuet of his Septet, Op. 20, of 1799, which is why the tune sounds familiar to many listeners.

Why is it called a sonata facile?

The original 1805 edition was titled Deux Sonates faciles, or two easy sonatas. They are short, have only two movements, and make modest technical demands.

Why does such an early piece have a late opus number?

It was written around 1796 but not published until 1805, so it was numbered among works from that later time.

← All pieces

Sonata Op. 49 No. 2: II. Tempo di Menuetto

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) · sheet music

Time 3/4
Levels 6–9
Passages 4

Your turn · both hands

Preparing your passage…

Ludwig van Beethoven, German classical (1770–1827). The reading release has 4 passages from this piece at levels 6–9; the reader above opens on the easiest, bars 81–84 for both hands together.

Practice the hard bars →

The hardest stretch is bars 33–40 at level 9.

Your practice path

Learn it the way teachers do: each hand on its own, then together, then the hard bars. Each step is a real graded passage of Sonata Op. 49 No. 2: II. Tempo di Menuetto.

Hands together · bars 81–84 level 6
The hardest bars · bars 33–40 level 9

How to play Sonata Op. 49 No. 2: II. Tempo di Menuetto

Tempo:Treat it as a dance, not a showpiece. Choose a calm minuet tempo and count three steady beats.
Right hand:Shape the tune in long, singing lines. The trills and turns, if your edition has them, should be light and clear.
Left hand:Keep the left-hand accompaniment even and soft. When it changes figure on a return of the theme, practice that spot alone.
Hands together:Listen for the melody above the accompaniment, and check that the hands move together on the first beat of each measure.
Rhythm:Feel one big beat per measure at a moderate pace so the phrases flow. Count three at the start if you lose your place.
Dynamics:Use gentle contrasts between the refrain and the episodes. Beethoven's piano here is quiet and chamber-like.
Pedal:Use very little pedal. A dry, clear sound suits the Classical style.
Practice:Learn the refrain first, then each episode. When you can play them separately, connect them in order and mark each return of the theme.

Common mistakes

Playing the minuet as fast as a waltz. Fix: Keep a moderate pace so the dance character stays dignified.
Letting the accompaniment overpower the tune. Fix: Play the left hand softer than the right and listen for the melody.
Missing the changes in the accompaniment when the theme returns. Fix: Mark the new left-hand pattern on each return and practice that spot separately.

Structure: rondo in minuet style

The movement is a rondo whose main theme is a minuet in G major. The tune returns between contrasting episodes, one built on running sixteenth-note turns and another that drops the key signature for flowing broken chords in eighth notes.

A · Minuet theme (G major): A graceful tune in triple meter with dotted upbeats, over a light accompaniment.
B · First episode: Running sixteenth-note turns in the right hand, with C sharps pulling the music toward the dominant.
A · Return: The minuet theme comes back in the home key.
C · Second episode: Written without sharps, it moves in steady broken-chord eighth notes that need even fingers.
A · Final return (G major): The minuet tune returns once more to close the movement.

About Sonata Op. 49 No. 2: II. Tempo di Menuetto

Beethoven's notes suggest he wrote the G major sonata around 1796, close to his Op. 2 and Op. 7 sonatas, probably as a gift for a pupil or friend. It was not published until January 1805, when his brother Kaspar Karl, sifting through his manuscripts for saleable works, placed both Op. 49 sonatas with the Kunst- und Industrie-Comptoir in Vienna as Deux Sonates faciles, against the composer's wishes.

The late publication explains the misleadingly high opus number, which files these early pieces as Sonatas Nos. 19 and 20. Each runs about eight minutes, and they were Beethoven's first numbered piano sonatas in only two movements.

The second movement, Tempo di Menuetto, is a rondo whose main theme is essentially a minuet. Beethoven liked the tune enough to reuse it in the minuet of his Septet, Op. 20, of 1799, and through the Septet's popularity it even passed into folk song.

Beethoven reused this minuet theme in his Septet, Op. 20, of 1799.
The tune later circulated as a folk song, which led Czerny to assume, wrongly, that Beethoven had borrowed an old Rhineland melody.
Kaspar Karl offered the pair to publishers from 1802 as two small, easy sonatas of two movements each.
By date of composition, the two Op. 49 sonatas belong among Beethoven's earliest, near Nos. 4 and 5, not Nos. 19 and 20.

Why the first passage is level 6

That passage is level 6 rather than 5 because a hand plays several notes at once, a hand plays full chords, its chords go beyond simple triads.

The passages here are in 3/4, mostly with one sharp, plus one from an episode written without sharps. Expect clear melodic phrases, dotted upbeats, and running turns in the episodes.

Questions about Sonata Op. 49 No. 2: II. Tempo di Menuetto

How hard is Sonata Op. 49 No. 2: II. Tempo di Menuetto to play?: Its passages grade from level 6 to level 9 on Real Sight Reader's ten-level reading scale, so the full piece is intermediate to advanced reading. The hardest stretch is bars 33–40 at level 9.
Is there an easy part of Sonata Op. 49 No. 2: II. Tempo di Menuetto for beginners?: Its easiest passage is level 6, so it suits a reader past the beginner stage. Start with bars 81–84 for both hands together, the level-6 passage in the reader at the top of this page; it is level 6 because a hand plays several notes at once and a hand plays full chords.
What key and time signature is Sonata Op. 49 No. 2: II. Tempo di Menuetto in?: The engraving on this page is in 3/4 time.
Who composed Sonata Op. 49 No. 2: II. Tempo di Menuetto?: Ludwig van Beethoven, German classical (1770–1827). Beethoven's notes suggest he wrote the G major sonata around 1796, close to his Op.
Can I practice Sonata Op. 49 No. 2: II. Tempo di Menuetto online for free?: Yes. The reader on this page plays any of the 4 graded passages from Sonata Op. 49 No. 2: II. Tempo di Menuetto in your browser, with an on-screen keyboard or a MIDI keyboard, and marks every note as you play. No signup.
Is the Septet minuet the same tune?: Yes. Beethoven reused the theme of this Tempo di Menuetto in the minuet of his Septet, Op. 20, of 1799, which is why the tune sounds familiar to many listeners.
Why is it called a sonata facile?: The original 1805 edition was titled Deux Sonates faciles, or two easy sonatas. They are short, have only two movements, and make modest technical demands.
Why does such an early piece have a late opus number?: It was written around 1796 but not published until 1805, so it was numbered among works from that later time.

Every passage, easiest first

The reading release grades 4 distinct passages of this piece. Open any of them in the reader:

Level 6: bars 81–84 both hands
Level 7: bars 1–8 both hands
Level 8: bars 17–24 both hands
Level 9: bars 33–40 both hands

More pieces to sight-read

Score: public-domain engraving from the corpus (mutopia-ly), graded by the piano-reading-v2-20261023-identity-audit reading release.

Keep training on your phone Practice with your own pieces — free on the App Store